Video by Aaron Stanley/pressrepublican.com
CROWN POINT — Sirens roared just before a series of simultaneous explosions blew the historic Champlain Bridge down into the icy lake Monday morning.
With a series of popping noises followed by one loud concussion, the 2,184-foot-long bridge broke apart and fell into the water within seconds.
A huge cloud of smoke and dust obscured the wreckage, although the deck could be seen crumbling and railings ripping off the sides as it fell.
The 10:05 a.m. blast shook many nearby homes and was felt miles away.
DETONATED BY GOVERNOR
The control buttons that set off the explosive charges on the bridge were pressed by Vermont Gov. James Douglas.
Timothy Gilchrist, New York Gov. David Paterson's senior adviser for infrastructure and transportation, was with Douglas on the Vermont side of the bridge.
"He (Douglas) held down the buttons, one to charge it, then 10 seconds later, the one to start the detonation. It went as expected. Everything fell," Gilchrist said by cell phone afterward.
The 80-year-old bridge was closed Oct. 16 after an inspection found deep cracks and erosion to its concrete pillars. Engineers said it was too dangerous to repair, so a new bridge will be built where it stood.
REMOVING DEBRIS
Gilchrist said construction crews were standing by to start removing the debris from the lake.
"They're fishing it out. They're going to open the navigation zone."
DOT has contracted with Sessler Wrecking of Waterloo to pull the pieces out of Lake Champlain and set them on barges for removal.
The U.S. Coast Guard is requiring all debris to be cleared from the navigational channel by April 15.
NEXT UP: FERRY
Clearing the debris quickly is also necessary so the new Crown Point Ferry can start running. It's now said that will happen by the end of January.
"The next big step is the ferry that restores a normal flow of traffic," Gilchrist said.
The new ferry is expected to be operated by Lake Champlain Transportation Co., which runs other ferries on the lake. It will be free and operate 24 hours a day.
As a precursor to the new ferry, the Essex-Charlotte, Vt. Ferry operated by Lake Champlain Transportation went to a 24-hour schedule Monday.
VIEW HINDERED
New York State Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee was at the media viewing area on the New York side of the bridge when it fell.
A snowstorm obscured clear views of the bridge even from 1,000 feet away.
"This is one of the reasons we wanted to get it done, because of the weather," Gee said. "Ice and snow are coming."
The public viewing areas at the Port Henry Public Boat Launch Site and the Bulwagga Bay Town Campground Beach had zero visibility as the 10 a.m. demolition time approached.
Moriah Town Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava had planned to watch the detonation from Port Henry but came to the media area because he couldn't see anything from the public sites.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event," he said. "I wanted to be able to see it."
piece of HISTORY LOST
Scozzafava said he was saddened by the destruction of a historic span like the Champlain Bridge. Built in 1929, it was opened by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was then governor of New York.
Crown Point Supervisor-elect Bethany Kosmider said she's working at getting the historic plaque and some of the lights and other fittings that were removed before the demolition so they can be put on display in a local museum.
ICE UNSAFE
DOT Regional Engineer John Grady, who watched the demolition with Gee, said the bridge came down according to his expectations.
"We're satisfied. It was sufficient."
Now that the bridge is down, Grady said, warnings have been issued to ice anglers that fishing near the bridge won't be safe because of the instability of the ice.
WENT FAST
More than 100 members of the media watched the detonation from an area set up at the Crown Point State Historic Site near the bridge.
Scozzafava said he couldn't believe how fast the bridge crumbled.
"It was quick. I didn't expect that."
Advanced Explosives Demolition of Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, attached 500 plastic explosive charges to bring down the bridge. The firm used about 800 pounds of radio-controlled explosives.
Although Advanced Explosives got $188,000 to implode the bridge, Gee said, total demolition cost will be closer to $1 million.
State lax?
Gee was asked afterward about criticisms of the state that it either acted too slowly to recognize the deterioration of the bridge or, worse yet, that the state had known about it but acted too slowly to address it. He denied that the state was lax and said DOT had been regularly observing the condition of the bridge, as well as other bridges around the state.
The rate of deterioration had accelerated surprisingly, he said.
He also noted that the Champlain Bridge was unlike others in trouble in the state by virtue of its remoteness.
"It's the only one that has an 80-mile detour," he said.
NEW BRIDGE
The cost of a new bridge is about $70 million, according to DOT. The Champlain Bridge Public Advisory Committee has recommended a modified network-tied arch bridge as a replacement, which must be approved by New York DOT, Vermont Agency of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.
Most of the replacement cost — about 80 percent — will be picked up by the federal government, with the states paying for 10 percent each.
The network-tied arch bridge would somewhat resemble the continuous-truss metal bridge that was destroyed Monday.
Gilchrist said bridge replacement is on a fast-track schedule.
"We'll get contact documents out in the spring, then we'll start construction. We're trying to find innovative ways to get it done quickly."
Best estimates so far are a bridge that would open in summer 2011, but Gilchrist said they're talking with federal officials about using innovative technology to accomplish it sooner.
"It was a grand old bridge," he said of the span that fell Monday. "A lot of people had ties to it. But demolition was a step forward so we can start moving toward normalcy."
— Editor Bob Grady contributed to this report.
Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue
Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House'
Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo.
Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming
No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner
Egypt's Ruling Generals Play Risky Game With US
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
Cab Driver Helps Wis. Family Escape House Fire
Staff Removed at LA School During Abuse Probe
Runaway Goat Leads Police on Wild Chase
